Have made some progress, but also ran into some snags...
Finished riveting the right inboard top skin (with my son's reluctant help).
Fuel tanks: I spent a bunch of time researching how to leak test the tanks
- Pressurize the tank with air (2.5 to 3 PSI), use soap and water on the seams and look for leaks
- Pressurize the tank with air, submerse in a tub and look for bubbles
- Put ~1 L of Varsol in the tank with a dye, which around, and look for leaks
All of these come with some challenges. The filler neck on the tanks needs a sealant to be water/air tight, and I dont want to do that until the tanks are installed. The dye that is recommended (Gentian Violet) is not available in Canada, and someone decided it is cancerous.
So after much debate and time wasting I went with option 1. I used tape to seal up the filler neck, and put plugs in everywhere else. The only place that leaked was the tape...
Started with the outboard (aux) tanks.... no problems.
Then onto the inboard (main) tanks. The fuel level sender I have does not match up with the flanges on the tanks.
Luckily the fuselage kit I bought came with the new flanges that match up with the fuel senders... however, they are not attached to the tanks. So the new flanges are going to be welded this week...
While the tanks were away, I cut and fit the aileron and flap cove skins...
Not a super fun job, but they are all cut and inspection holes completed. At this point, they need a little bit of trimming then off for etching / alodyning. Due to the size, I am going to build a trough long enough to do the wing lift struts, and do all the cove skins at the same time. At least that is my current plan.
What comes next (left wing):
- Install tanks
- Need to figure out wiring for senders.... especially the outboard tanks
- Rivet inboard / outboard ribs
- Etch / alodyne cove skins, covers, and left struts
- Bond cove skins
- Fit flap / aileron and check clearance
- Rinse and repeat for right wing
No comments:
Post a Comment